Relief
by james-t-kirktacular
Summary: Jim was the one who came to Leonard, this time. Warnings inside; mirrorverse, non-sexual infantilism


**Any warnings in case you are unaware:** this story features **infantilism**, which means grown adult/s acting like infants. Jim (in this case, Mirror!Jim) is the one who is the "infant" in this scenario, and Bones (Mirror!Bones) is his caretaker. Because of this, Jim does and should seem out of character and has little to no emotional boundaries, and Bones pampers him. The scene is purely **non-sexual**. If these criteria do not meet your expectations, it would be better to leave now than get your hopes up.

**This story is also the direct sequel to another mirrorverse infantilism fic, "Relaxation"**. I would suggest reading that first, but it is not strictly necessary.

Otherwise, enjoy.

—

After that first time, they didn't do it again for a while. They still had incredibly hot, rough sex that left Jim horribly smug and limping, especially when he was being particularly asshole-ish, but they didn't delve into that raw affection and gentleness for a good few months afterward. Mostly because Jim wouldn't let Leonard get that close. He would still let Leonard spoon him after sex, and still let Leonard give him back massages when he was feeling particularly stressed (which, although not common, still made Jim let out frankly obscene moans when Leonard managed to work out some of the knots in his spine, which always made Leonard snicker), but aside from that he tended to shrink away when Leonard tried to touch him with something other than punishment or sex in mind. He even showed up to his monthly check-ups on time with little to no manic fits, and Leonard had a feeling it was because he thought if he was good Leonard wouldn't have to resort to more 'drastic measures' again to teach him a lesson.

It stung, but the doctor understood. Jim was utterly unused to tenderness and anything related to it. What they had done that day, although good for Jim's overall mental and emotional state, had left him painfully out of his comfort zone. Leonard couldn't blame him for not wanting to talk about it, _or_ for not wanting to 'encourage' it by letting Leonard give him soft touches instead of harsh ones. He was too accustomed to violence and too unaccustomed to affection, and it left Leonard to sit by and watch.

But then, one day, four months down the line, Leonard was going through some documents on his PADD, signing off on the toxins Chapel had requested to be restocked and sending her a "_no_, Christine, we already have enough cyanide, we don't need another batch no matter how much you want to use it on the new recruits" (to which she immediately sent back "aw, but _Len_, it's so fun watching them squirm!"). It was during this product review that someone began knocking on his door (well, more loud pounds than knocks, honestly), and that was what made him pause and look up in confusion. People didn't _knock_ on his office door; they usually never even bothered him at all, and if they did it was only ever M'Benga or Chapel – or, on one memorable occasion, Spock – and those two just buzzed on his intercom to let him know it was them and what they needed.

So he turned on the intercom himself and asked, "Who is it?"

He vaguely heard some muffled curses before an answer was given; "Who the fuck else would it be, you ass?"

Leonard rolled his eyes and pressed the button that controlled the door, and the blond stalked in like he owned the place as soon as it slid open. The second it was shut behind him, however, his shoulders seemed to slump out of their normally resilient posture as he stood at attention in front of Leonard's desk. He looked anxious and awkward, practically _shifting his weight on his feet_ as he stared anywhere but at the doctor. His uneasiness was obvious and out of place on the usually sure captain's features.

It put Leonard on edge. Jim wasn't insecure about _anything_, and here he was, looking positively _timid_.

"Jim, what's wrong?" he asked, preparing to get up to physically make sure Jim was okay and hadn't been poisoned or something similar, but the other man just shook his head and raised his hands up defensively.

"Nothing," he said, but too quickly to be believable. Leonard's face contorted with worry, but Jim just walked closer, waving his hands to get him back into his chair. "Just – sit back down. Please."

Leonard did as he was told with a fair amount of hesitancy (Jim never said _please_), but as soon as his ass was back on the cushion Jim was striding around the desk and pushing the rolling chair back far enough to squeeze between him and the tabletop.

Then, after what looked like a mental confidence boost, Jim carefully, warily sat the very edge of his ass on Leonard's knee, facing away from him with his arms self-consciously folded over his chest as he did so. Leonard couldn't really see his face, but he didn't need to; he knew what he looked like – terrified and prepared to be pushed away. The way his spine was ram-rod straight and his shoulders were tight with strain gave it away, letting him know that Jim thought he'd gone too far and was waiting for the explosion. So, instead of shoving Jim out on his ass for showing this much courage, for coming to him when he needed to and not waiting for both of them to break, Leonard wrapped an arm around his midsection, shushing him calmly when the man coiled like a spring in his grasp. He slowly but surely tugged Jim all the way back, until his ass was resting completely on Leonard's thigh and his side was pressed against Leonard's chest.

Jim was stiffer than a board as he allowed himself to be maneuvered and manhandled, but once he was settled and Leonard was running his hand up and down his back to soothe him, he gradually managed to relax and let his muscles loosen with a shaky sigh. Leonard combed his fingertips through the blond curls at the nape of his neck, encouraging him to nestle his face into Leonard's neck with little noises of reassurance. Jim shifted, nuzzling his nose into Leonard's throat and raising his arms to curl them around his shoulders, simply sitting there and letting himself breathe. It was quiet for a few minutes, after that, but it was a comfortable silence, only interrupted by Jim's soft breaths and the ruffling of clothes when Leonard would rub his back or adjust his position to keep his legs from going numb under Jim's weight. Then, there was a near inaudible, "Bones?" whispered against his jaw, just below his ear, and when the doctor made a questioning hum in response, he felt Jim bite his lip, his cheeks heating up noticeably against his skin before he murmured, "Do you – I want…"

When he didn't continue and instead buried his face further into Leonard's neck to hide, he just cooed to him gently, lightly bouncing his leg as he did so, making Jim clutch at him tighter in surprise as he was jostled before relaxing back into him again. "You can tell me, it's okay, I won't tease you."

Jim remained quiet for a few more minutes as Leonard tried to get him to open up with gentle praises, until he eventually whispered, like he was telling an embarrassing secret, "I want a blanket."

Leonard smiled warmly, even though Jim couldn't see it. "I can get you a blanket, darlin'. There's a few in our cabin, you wanna head back for the night?" Jim's shift was over, that much he knew, and Leonard's own could be hoisted off to M'Benga if he so desired. Jim was more important, and at this time of night anyone who showed up in Sickbay with a life-threatening injury should honestly just be left to rot, where he was concerned.

When Jim nodded against his neck and gave him another squeeze, Leonard carefully got to his feet, helping Jim plant his own on the floor once again and slowly removing his clinging form from his chest, despite how much Jim simply wanted to hold on with all his might and not let go, desperate for positive physical contact. Leonard didn't _want_ to let him go – in fact, all he wanted was to carry him back to their rooms, to hell with everyone else – but he knew Jim would never forgive him for that, and the captain needed to put on a stronger façade until they reached their quarters to keep up appearances. If the rest of the crew saw him like this they'd pounce on him like lions and exploit it for all they were worth. Leonard couldn't let Jim go through that, no matter how pitiful he looked after he made him step away.

They left quickly, after that. Jim seemed to snap out of it, at least a little bit, for a little while, striding down the corridors in front of Leonard as if he was the one leading them back to their cabin, keeping his chin up and his back straight. But, as soon as they arrived and the door was shut behind them, Jim allowed himself to fall out of his posture with an unsteady sigh, as if even that small moment of faux composure had absolutely drained him. Leonard simply took his hand and led him to the couch, sitting him down and retrieving his own maroon Ol' Miss hoodie, a pair of his black sweatpants, and a pair of thick white socks in quick succession before rummaging around in his closet for one of his own relatively unused blankets and returning to Jim's side. The blond immediately reached for the blanket, a thick fleece one patterned with green plaid that he can't remember buying or even bringing aboard, but Leonard simply shook his head, placed it and the clothes out of his reach, and crouched down in front of him to undo his boots, setting them to the side along with his Starfleet regulation socks once they were removed so Jim could flex his toes. After that, he unbuckled Jim's belt to remove his trousers and underwear, and his tunic was soon to follow, until he was left completely naked and lightly shivering in the cool air.

That was when Leonard began to dress him, urging him to raise his arms so he could pull him into the hoodie. His head popped out of the collar, leaving his hair lightly floofed and the hood nearly hiked up over the top of it as the sleeves fell down around his wrists, the end of the cuffs nearly reaching his fingertips with how baggy it was on him. It made Leonard stifle a smile, especially when Jim blinked wide blue eyes at him, curious, but he just shuffled Jim's uncooperative legs into the sweatpants, underwear be damned, and then the socks onto his feet. Jim stretched his toes inside the thick cotton, humming softly, and allowed Leonard to pull him up into a standing position, which is when he picked the blanket up and draped it over Jim's shoulders like a cloak, letting him grab onto it and cuddle it around his face, cloth fisted in his hands as he held it over his mouth, the blanket covering most of his body and shrouding him in green fleece. He looked young and vulnerable, but positively _adorable_, and Leonard never would have thought he would apply that adjective to his violent murderous homicidal captain, but here he was.

"D'you like it?" he asked, and when Jim nodded, looking timid but sure, he continued with, "D'you want your lion?" He kept his voice light, unassuming, because he'd hidden the stuffed animal away under their bed in a box for the four months after their first session, to keep Jim from feeling pressured whenever he looked at it, and although Jim had embraced it the first time he had no idea if he would the second. But now, the blond was nodded rapidly, eyes wide and bright and no longer shy, so Leonard gave him a warm smile and led him back into their bed chambers, urging him onto the bed and laying him down as he dug underneath it for said stuffed lion. Jim seemed to be quivering with anticipation when Leonard stood back up, pulling the plush animal out of its box, and before he could even hand it to him Jim opened his arms, creating a perfect gap in his blanket for Bones to place the lion into. The doctor did so dutifully, and Jim curled around it when it was settled squarely on his chest, hugging it tight and not letting go.

Leonard chuckled at the sight, changed into his own pajamas, and then crawled onto the bed with Jim, smiling when the blond burrowed into his side and settled in with Leonard's arm slung over his shoulders, knees pulled close to his chest under his blanket and his body coiled up into a tight little ball. Debating whether or not it was worth it to bring it up or to simply sit there in silence until Jim inevitably drifted off, Leonard decided to give it a shot, and said, "D'you want a bedtime story, to help you fall asleep faster?"

Jim was quiet for a few long moments, moments where Leonard began to think he'd crossed a line and was about to open his mouth to remind him of his safeword in case he needed it, but Jim just butted his head into Leonard's shoulder and nuzzled into his side, nestling in his little blanket cocoon and saying quietly, "Uh-huh" accompanied by a shy nod of agreement as he stuffed his thumb in his mouth and suckled gently, gazing up at him with wide blue eyes. Leonard let out a sigh of relief, rubbing circles into Jim's arm to relax him as he sifted through his memory for a good children's story, like the ones he used to tell to Joanna when she was younger before everything went to shit.

When one came to mind he let himself smile, and began, "Once upon a time there lived an unhappy young girl…" As the story went on, Jim began to have to jerk himself awake every time he started to nod off, but soon enough he was letting out little snuffling snores around his thumb, fast asleep. Leonard just smiled at his head, combing his fingers through his ruffled blond hair and making him mumble nonsensically under his breath, before ordering the lights off and settling in himself.


End file.
